Montenegro sets visas for Turks, following series of arrests in Podgorica

“would start intensive talks with Turkey to find, in the spirit of good co-operation and alliance, the best model in the interest of both sides”, Spajjic said.

He gave no reason for removing the visa-free regime.

Police Operations and AntiTurkish Calls

Spajjic's announcement came after police during an action in Podgorica's Zabello neighbourhood arrested about 50 Turkish citizens, including two people allegedly involved in a clash where a Podgorica resident, M.J., was stabbed, Montenegrin police reported after 22:00 Sunday.

The clash occurred between Saturday and Sunday at a café in Zabel.

During the arrests, a large group of citizens gathered to shout hate - language messages, promoting violence against Turks respectively. Police stopped some of those present from approaching objects where Turkish citizens were located.

Citizens also addressed Interior Affairs Minister Danilo Sharanovic, who said it is manipulation to say that 100,000 Turkish citizens remain in Montenegro and explained that their number is 13,000, out of whom 80 have a permanent stance.

On Sunday evening, a large number of police vehicles were placed in front of the Turkish Embassy building in Podgorica.

MP Boris Bogdanovic from the ruling Democratic Party, the subject of Minister Sharanovic, published a photo of the arrests with the inscription: “We protect every home”.

Police linked the arrests to, as they said, incidents with elements of violence over the past 24 hours in which Turkish citizens who remain temporarily in Podgorica participated.

Police said they would verify the legality of their position, and if there was violence during the stay, there may be actions to cancel the dream or expel the country.

Out of about 100,000 foreigners in Montenegro, 13,400 are Turkish citizens, according to official police data. More are Serbian and Russian citizens, totaling about 50,000.

Otherwise, Turkey is one of the countries for which Montenegro has removed visas, which the European Commission has called for from Podgorica to harmonise visa policy with the European Union. Turkish citizens are required visas to enter EU countries.

Reactions: Attack and Call for Peace Sentence

“Worthy attack”, Montenegrin President James Milatovic wrote on the X network, urging authorities to resolve the case effectively.

“At the same time, I call for calm and restraint for all citizens. There should be no room for collective guilt or stigmatisation of an entire people”.

He added that all should be careful that their messages do not increase tensions.

Police and prosecutors are obliged to fight hate language and any form of threat. Montenegro needs a more responsible immigration policy: strong against abuse and crime, and fair to all those who respect our laws”, Milatovic stressed.

Montenegro's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ervin Ibrahimovic also strongly condemned the attack. He called on all of Montenegro's “for 48x1> content, stressing that responsibility is individual.

According to him, in a European Montenegro there is no room for violence, for arbitrary actions and calls such as “Vrite Turkish” calls heard in Podgorica, calling for an immediate response from authorities.

Even the ruling Bosniaks' Party called for whiteening the case and punishing the authors “regardless of their national affiliation”.

Together, with great concern, we condemn hate speech and cheers like Death Turk... Montenegro should remain a place where violence does not respond with hatred, but with justice, and where institutions, not roads, decide on guilt”.

The chairman of the Islamic Community in Montenegro, Rifat Fejzic, commented on the event in the context of the cooling of relations between Belgrade and Ankara, following the fact that in early October Turkey sent weapons to Kosovo, which Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq called <x0 subservative” and praised that Ankara, which is a NATO member, does not want stability in the Balkans.

I got less than 20 days. Is Belgrade punishing Turkey through Montenegro?”, Fejzic wrote on X, publishing a photo of a text with the title “Vucciq attacked Turkey: We know what you're planning...”

A part of the ruling coalition in Montenegro, primarily the parties of the former prorus Democratic Front, have close ties with Belgrade and Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq.

Montenegro's criminal group activity

In Montenegro, foreign criminal groups, particularly Turkish, Georgian and Russian, have become more present in recent years, as reportedly in the Government's Organised and Dangerous Crime Risk Rating (SOCTA) last year.

There are no details in the document on the specific activities of Russian and Georgian criminals, while Turks are mentioned in connection with “operations” with heroin, trafficking of people and money laundering.

Over the past three months, clashes between two Montenegrin criminal clans dealing with international drug smuggling have escalated.

In Montenegro, 11 high-risk organised crime groups are registered, mostly with more than 30 members, according to the latest SOCTA report.